Area father, son bond while climbing Mount Everest

Photo submitted
Bloomfield Hills residents Kirk and Kyle Love will be climbing Mount Everest in the beginning of April together. Kyle, 26, is in the National Guard and is pictured with his father at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township before going to Afghanistan last year.

Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world at 29,029 feet and is considered one of the most challenging mountains to climb.

This doesn't scare Bloomfield Hills resident Kirk Love or his son 1st Lt. Kyle Love, who serves in the National Guard. At the end of this month, they are traveling to Nepal, and, for 22 days, they will hike up 21,000 feet of the mountain.

Kirk, 58, said with a laugh, "As a man with a son, you certainly can't show weakness."

Advertisement

For 26-year-old Kyle, climbing Mount Everest can be added to his list of dangerous life events. His dad said after Kyle was stationed in Afghanistan for one year, coming home in Thanksgiving 2012, hiking Mount Everest will be a piece of cake for him in comparison.

Kirk said they're going with a group of 10 hikers and three guides.

"It's always been on my bucket list," said Kirk. "This is a boys' week."

Kirk is an adventure seeker -- traveling to the North Pole in the spring of 2000, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with his wife, Marion, in December 2005 and hiking Machu Picchu in 2006. He climbed his first mountain, Mount Rainier in Washington, when he was 40 and stressed that it's "never too late to start." By far, this will be the highest elevation Kirk has hiked, and this will be the first mountain Kyle has ever climbed.

"The truth is, as you get higher, the tougher it is to breathe. I always say it's kind of like you have emphysema and you're struggling for air. But once you get to the top and you can see that you've summited and you've accomplished your near-term goal, it's an exhilaration that's tough to explain," said Kirk.

Kirk wanted to go on a father-son trip before Kyle begins grad school at Michigan State University in the fall. Kyle is currently stationed at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Harrison Township but will return home to Bloomfield Hills March 29, the day before flying out to Nepal.

"It's a journey, and I'm anxious to share that journey with him and show him some of the joys I've had with the expeditions I've done," said Kirk.

The two will be sleeping in tents and climber huts along the side of the mountain during the 22 days.

They trained at Art of Strength Studios, 1025 Webster Ave., in Birmingham, for the big hike.

Their trainer Mike Knight said, "This is Kirk's idea of fun."

Kirk and Kevin trained for eight weeks for the climb. Knight worked on building muscle in their thighs and legs, which is necessary to carry them up the mountain.

"We didn't want to get their body fat down too much because they're going to need that when they're climbing. If we got them down ridiculously skinny, then they won't have the strength or the body to get up those hills," said Knight.

Knight said he is impressed by what Kirk is doing.

"Most people believe at the age of 40 that they're on a downward spiral. But you can get stronger for trips like this if you're in the right hands," said Knight. "He's ready, and he's done a great job."